LONGMEADOW – Though he owns and works full time at New England Business Machine Company, an I.T. hardware company, is active in numerous governance and philanthropic organizations, is chairman of the Board for Mercy Hospital in Springfield, is incoming Chairman of the Board for Trinity Health of New England and is a devoted husband and a father, Longmeadow resident John Sjoberg decided to add author to his list of accomplishments, accolades and roles.

While Sjoberg is an active Western Massachusetts resident and takes great pride in his community, his affection toward the area grew over time, as he was born in Nairobi, Kenya.  When he was a small child, Sjoberg and his Swedish parents immigrated to the United States, and it was here where Sjoberg came to call home.  Following the September 11, 2001, terrorist attack in New York City, Sjoberg decided to become an American citizen and vowed to become an involved member of the country.

Since then, he’s kept his promise.

Though his roles vary and take up a significant amount of time, over the span of one year Sjoberg wrote his first book, “Murder in the Meadows.”  Sjoberg describes the book as two young men with different pasts and backgrounds who are best friends and choose to live in the town of Meadows, where they grew up.  Kirk Preston was the handsome, popular quarterback of the town’s football team, and was a local star.  His best friend, Jesse Thorpe, lived in Kirk’s shadow for years.

“When one of the men is away on a business trip, the other is found murdered.  And the accused is his best friend.  From here, it’s a fast paced rollercoaster of sordid tales,” Sjoberg shared.

“Murder in the Meadows” takes its readers through twists and turns of love, crime, deception and vindication.

“Some have described the story progression as, just when you think you can see your path ahead – you are falling off a cliff,” Sjoberg said.

Longmeadow residents, as well as Western Massachusetts residents, may recognize familiar territories Sjoberg describes in his book.  As one may have guessed, the book’s town, Meadows, is loosely based on Longmeadow.

“For Longmeadow residents, the term ‘the Meadows’ has always been an endearing reference to our town and its early founding as the long meadows by the river, and since I have always liked the flow and use of alliterations in writing, I chose my murder mystery title to include the ‘Murder in the Meadows,’” Sjoberg explained. “As the story unfolds, readers from Western Massachusetts will recognize all of the fictional towns the reader visits.”

Towns that readers may find familiar include Springdale, Holyville and Westford, otherwise known as Springfield, Holyoke and Westfield.  Additionally, Mt. Tom, Barnes Airport and the Connecticut River are all featured in “Murder in the Meadows.”

It’s common to picture an author or a writer locked away in a quiet, comfortable room with a laptop, a cup of coffee and perhaps their reading glasses.  However, Sjoberg did not have the picture-perfect writing experience, which may be mere figments of our imaginations.

"The book took about a year to complete.  It may seem like a long time, but when you consider I only wrote during my lunch break at work each day, it’s not too bad,” Sjoberg said. “I would record my ideas in the morning on a recorder on my way into work and then transcribe my thoughts during lunch.”

Every author draws inspiration from a different place.  From their family and friends, beautiful sceneries, a situation they were involved in, but Sjoberg’s inspiration came to him in an unusual manner.

“Believe it or not, one of my inspirations was a mild case of insomnia.  Each night as I went to bed, I was often a bit wound up from a hectic day, and thinking of the story and creating twists was relaxing and comforting,” Sjoberg said. “On more than one occasion, I actually found myself as one of the characters in a real dream when I fell asleep.  Some of the many twists in the story, which ultimately found the paper, came from my own dreams.”

While some authors dream of becoming a best-selling author and seeing their books on stands around the world, Sjoberg says he’s not a writer to make money, he writes for his own satisfaction.

“Although the process itself was fun, there was nothing more rewarding than seeing it actually become a real bound book.  I never had any delusions about making money or somehow finding success as a writer,” Sjoberg shared.

Sjoberg worked consistently to create characters who readers can draw deeper meanings from through moral messages or through their relatability.

“The compensation for the work came in the form of family and friends acknowledging the completion of a year-long goal, and the accolades from people all over the country and even abroad who enjoyed the book and wrote complementary notes and reviews,” Sjoberg beamed.

When Sjoberg isn’t busy chairing various boards or working at his company, he enjoys spending time with his wife of 26 years, former TV 22 news anchor and Communication professor at Western New England University Brenda Garton, and their sons Stefan and Bo.

“Murder in the Meadows” can be purchased on amazon.com on paperback for $22.32 or as a Kindle book for $8.99.